Sluice gate seal



June 30, 1953. R. L. HATCH 2,643,521

SLUICE cm: SEAL Filed Sept. 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ROBERT L Hxrcu.

ATTORNEYS June so, 1953 L, HATCH 2,643,521

SLUICE GATE SEAL Filed Sepf. 6, 1951. 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 /04/ INVENTOR F17. 5 ROBERT L. HATCH WM $W ATTORNEYS Patented June 30, 1953 SLUICE GATE SEAL Robert L. Hatch, Orange, Mass., as'signor to Rodney Hunt Machine Company,

Orange,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 6, 1951, Serial No. 245,371

Claims. 1 This invention relates to water control apparatus, and more particularly to sluice gates and sealing means therefor.

Sluice gates are used extensively as a means of water power control and have particular util ity in applications where it is necessary to control large volumes of water. The eiiectiveness of sluice gates is dependent in large measure upon the continuing efficiency of the sealing means between the sluice gate and the face of the stationary frame structure with which the gate cooperates to form a substantially watertight seal.

In accordance with conventional practice, a series of wedges is installed about the perimeter of the sluice gate to force the sluice gate tightly against the stationary frame. The machined mating surfaces are usually constructed from brass or similar non-corrosive, long wearing metallic substance. In four-sided gates of rec" tangular construction with which the present 3 .nvention is primarily concerned, such wedges at the top face and the two side faces cooperate adequately to form a reasonably watertight seal.

However, the wedging surfaces at the bottom edge of the gate as well as the mating sealing surfaces themselves are constantly subjected to an accumulation of silt and debris, which, after a period of time tends to prevent proper functioning of the wedging and sealing surfaces, which in turn prevents the establishment and maintenance of a watertight enclosure around the perimeter of the entire sluice gate.

It has been found that if a flush mounted seal is utilized at the bottom of the sluice gate to provide two mating sealing surfaces which are disposed in a horizontal plane, rather than in a vertical plane, as is the case with the conventional wedge type seal, the flushing action of the liquid being discharged will clean the mating surfaces sufficiently to insure proper sealing at all times.

The installation of a flush type seal also may substantially increase the quantity of water passed through a sluice gate over that possible with the previous wedge type seals. This follows from the fact that the bottom surface of the water canal or the pipe which carries water from the sluice gate is necessarily'on a higher level than the bottom surface of the canal or pipe which leads to the sluice gate, since the design of the bottom wedge in the conventional sluice gate requires that the wedge mechanism extend considerably below the two vertical mating surfaces. The flush mounted, horizontal pair of seating surfaces, on the other hand, produce a continuous straight line at the juncture of the bottom surfaces of the inlet and discharge canals.

Accordingly, since the quantity of liquid discharged is a function of the headinvolved, the lowering of the discharge opening, which may amount to one or two feet in gates of substantial size, will substantially increase the quantity of water passed. Also, the flush mounted seal represents an important simplification of the usual wedge type seal, which results in a substantial reduction in the initial cost of the gate assembly as well as reduced maintenance costs.

Despite these and other advantages of the flush mounted seal, such seals are not in widespread use, and prior developments have failed to provide seals of this type of sufficient durability and dependability to Warrant their general adoption. It has been found that two horizontal metallic seals do not provide sufficient resilience to permit the other wedges located about the perimeter of the gate to effect the necessary seal. In the conventional structure with a wedge type seal at the bottom of the sluice gate, all the wedges on the four sides of the sluice gate can be adjusted so that wear is constant within reasonable tolerances and a slight amount of additional wear on one wedge would have little or no effect on the sealing qualitieseffected by the remaining wedges. However, with two metallic horizontal faceplates located at the bottom of the sluice gate, a slight amount of wear in one of the side or top wedges cannot be compensated for since the flush mounted surfaces permit practically no additional travel of the sluice gate.

Because of the inefiiciency of. the wedge type bottom seal and the metallic faceplates, it has been proposed to use resilient rubber seals, as a replacement for them. However, prior designs of these seals are such that they are subject to rapid wear and deterioration to a degree which makes their use impractical. This is the case where, for example, a rubber insert seal is mounted in a slot at the bottom of the gate assembly or frame. In this design the application of pressures on the face of the seal has resulted in cutting the sides of the seal where it is held in 5 its slot and restricts the application of the pressure on the seal to a value below that necessary to provide a watertight construction.

In recognition of these factors it is an important object of the present invention. to provide a unique and highly effective resilient seal at the bottom edge of the sluice gate which affords the necessary resilience to permit the top and side wedges to function with maximum elfectiveness and further permits an absolute flush mounting with surfaces of the intake and outlet canals.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a resilient seal construction for the bottom edge of a sluice gate which eliminates the possibility of cutting action between the rubber seal and the gate member so that the seal will have an extended useful life.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel resilient seal in which the thrust area may be limited to that which is most effective for sealing without rapid deterioration or failure of the seal.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel resilient seal which is conveniently and easily replaceable.

It is a further object to provide a novel resilient seal for a sluice gate which affords the .benefits of both narrow line contact and broad face contact.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a novel rubber seal for a sluice gate which cooperates with means on the sluice gate whereby differing sealing pressures are established over predetermined areas of the seal so as to provide a high pressure contact along a relatively limited area of the seal and a smaller contact pressure over a substantially larger area of the face of the seal.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sluice gate assembly incorporating the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating details of the top wedge members and sealing surfaces;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line 33 of Figure 1 illustrating details of the side wedging members and the sup-porting frame for the movable sluice gate;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken .5

along line 4-4 of Figure 1 showing additional details of the side wedge members;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 1 showing details of the bottom resilient seal assembly; and

Figure 6 is a bottom elevation of the gate assembly removed from the supporting frame.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the sluice gate assembly herein described and illustrated by way of example consists essentially of a flat frame I0, opposite side guides I2 and I4, the slidable gate I6 and the sealing structure for effecting a substantially fluidtight seal between the gate and the frame.

The frame I0 which, as illustrated, is preferably rectangular in shape, is provided with a central opening I8, of the same configuration as the cross-section of the canal or conduit in which the gate assembly is installed. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the central opening I8 is of rectangular shape. However, where the gate assembly is installed in a circular conduit, the frame I0 is preferably square with its sides tangent to the conduit walls, and is provided on its back side with a circular opening.

The frame I0 is adapted to be rigidly secured to a structural support assembly (not shown) which is ordinarily formed integrally with the canal or other water conduit to which the sluice gate is applied. The frame is preferably positioned so that the lower edge of opening I8 is substantially flush with the bottom of the canal or conduit over its full length in the case of a rectangular conduit or at the point of tangency in the case of a circular conduit.

The frame I0 is provided with top and side inserts 20 and 22, respectively, which are made of brass, bronze or similar non-corrosive durable 7 material, the inserts being positioned respectively along the top and side edges of the opening I0.

Th side guides I2 and I4 which are rigidly secured to the frame I0 at its opposite longitudinal edges by means of bolts 24, are each provided with a machined groove 26 extending the full length thereof which provide a guiding surface for tongues 28 formed along the longitudinal edges of the slide I6. It will be noted that there is an appreciable clearance between the tongues 28 and the grooves 26 for a purpose to be explained.

The gate I6 is provided with a recessed flat back side 30 in which machined brass or bronze top and side inserts 32 and 34, respectively, are positioned so as to be in register with the top and side sealing inserts in the frame 0 when the gate is closed.

A plurality of reinforcing ribs 36 are formed on the front side of the gate and the number, size and location of which will depend upon the requirements of a particular installation. The two uppermost reinforcing ribs are apertured as at 36 to permit the installation of an actuating rod 40, the lower end of which is secured by suitable means in a boss and the upper end of which may be attached to any suitable power source not shown.

At its upper edge the gate I6 is provided with two bosses 44 which are tapped as at 46 to receive bolts 48 by means of which top wedges 50 are adjustably positioned at the upper edge of the gate I6. Secured to a fiat surface formed adjacent the upper edge of the frame I0 as by bolts 60 are top wedge seats 62 which have an inclined wedging surface 64 opposite the corresponding wedgin surface 66 of the top wedges 50.

Lateral adjustment of top wedges 50 is accomplished by adjusting a bolt 68, the inner end of which bears against attaching bolt 48 to move the wedge 50 laterally with respect to bolt 48 which extends through an elongated aperture I0 provided for this purpose. I he bolt 68 may be fixed in its adjusted position by a locknut II.

At spaced horizontally aligned points on the opposite sides of the gate I6 integral wedge pads I2 are formed, each of which has a longitudinally extending groove I4 in which tongues 76 of wedges 78 preferably of brass or bronze are slidably received. The wedges I8 are each provided with an elongated slot 80 through which an attaching bolt 82 extends. The wedges I8 may be adjusted vertically in the same manner as the top wedge by bolts 84 which extend through the side of the wedges into abutment with attaching bolts 82, the adjustin bolts 84 being locked in their adjusted position by locknuts 86. The inclined wedging surfaces 88 of wedges I8 engage bronze inserts 90 rigidly secured to the under inclined surface of the bosses 92 formed on the side guides I2 and I4.

The bottom seal structure which forms an important part of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to Figures 5 and 6. As there shown the bottom edge of gate I6 is provided with a flange I00 of substantial height. Integrally formed on the lower surface of flange I00 is a downwardly extending lip I02, both the flange and the lip extending across the bottom of the gate I6. A resilient sealing member I04, preferably of rubber or other .or otherwise preformed to the shape shown in Figure 5 so that it will remain in contact with the under surfaces of the flange I and the lip I02 in its relaxed condition.

As will be seen in Figure 6, the main sealing portion IIO of the seal I04 is of uniform width, while the attaching portion I I2 is relatively narrow at its opposite ends, and has a central portion of substantially greater width. The attaching plate I06 has generally the same configuration as the attaching section H2 of the seal, except that it is of somewhat less width in the central portion. I

The frame member I6 is provided with a machined groove, II l, which extends from side to side thereof, at a point spaced from the bottom of the frame Iii. Received within groove .I I4 is a tongue IIG integrally formed in a stop bar I I8, which is secured to the frame I0 by means of bolts I20 so as to position its flat horizontalupper surface substantially in the plane of the lower edge of the opening 28. An insert I22, preferably of bronze or similar non-corrosive metal, is

clamped between the stop bar I8, and the frame l0 above the tongue IIS and is provided at its upper edge with a curved lip i24, which coope'- ates with the rounded lip of the seal I04, to effect a wedging action to insure a tight seal at this critical point.

As stated above, the gate IE is shown in its fully lowered position, in which sealing contact is made with the frame around its entire periphery. In thi position, the portion of the seal I04 clamped between the stop bar H8 and the downwardly extending lip I02 is under substantial pressure to effect the necessary sealing action at this point. The unit pressure on this portion of the seal will vary inversely with the width of the lip I02. Accordingly it will be understood that the width of the lip will depend upon the requirements of a particular installation. It is to be noted that in addition to the portion of the seal clamped between the lip I02 and the stop bar II8, a relatively broad portion I26 of the seal is also in pressure contact with the stop plate IIB. Thus the seal effects both high pressure line contact and broad surface contact at lower pressure with the stop her IIS. Because of this fact, the width of the portion of the seal underlying lip I02 can be reduced far beyond that possible in prior seals without damage to the seal to produce a limited high pressure sealing area of substantially increased effectiveness.

The unit pressure exerted on the resilient seal I04, can be readily adjusted within relatively narrow predetermined limits by adjustment of the side and top wedges, which limit the downward travel of the gate I6. For example, if it is desired to increase the pressure on the resilient seal I04,

each of the side wedges I8, can be adjusted upwardly slightly as viewed. in Figure 1, and the top wedges may be adjusted slightly to the right, as viewed in Figure 2. This adjustment will have no appreciable effect on the sealing contact effected at the top and sides of the gate, but merely will control the position at which the gate comes to rest in its fully lowered position. If it is desired to decrease the sealing pressure on the member I04, the opposite adjustment in each of the wedges can be made. The desired adjustment can easily be maintained throughout the life Of the apparatus to compensate for wear by suitable periodic adjustment of the wedges.

As the gate is lowered into its fully closed position, it will move slightly toward the frame member I0, the clearance between the tongue 28 on the slide and the groove 26 in the side guides being provided for this purpose. However, this movement is very slight and will have no appreciable effect on the seal I04. Thus, there will be no tendency toward cutting of this seal as the gate is lowered into its closed position or as it is raised from this position.

As stated above the frame I0 is installed so that the lower horizontal edge of the central opening therein is positioned substantially at the level of the bottom of the inlet and discharge conduits, this level being indicated by reference line I3s in Figure 5. Thus, when the gate is opened, the full head of the water in the inlet conduit, which extends away from the gate to the left as viewed in Figure 5, will be'available for producing water flow. Further when the gate is open the water will sweep across the upper sealing surface I28 of the stop bar and across the upper lip I24 of the insert I22. The complete absence of pockets or obstructions to flow effectively prevents the deposit of silt 0r debris in the region of the seal. Thus, when the gate is closed the resilient seal I0 i will be allowed to seat on stop bar H8 in full surface sealing contact therewith.

It may be expected that because of the relative hardness of the stop bar II8 as compared with the resilient seal I04, wear will be largely confined to the latter and replacement of the former which is a difficult and time consuming operation will not be necessary between periods of major overhaul of the entire gate.

Replacement of the resilient seal can be effected conveniently as often as necessary without interruption of the operation of the gate since the attaching bolts I08 are exposedand are readily accessible when the gate is raised to its fully open position.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims "are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a sluice gate, a frame having an opening for the passage of a fluid, a gate slidably mounted on said frame for movement between open and closed positions, means forming a fixed horizontal surface adjacent the lower edge of said opening, a resilient sealing member attached to the lower edge of said gate and adapted to be compressed into sealing engagement with said horizontal surface when said gate occupies its closed position, and cooperating means on said gate and said frame for varying the location of said closed position of said gate to vary the sealing pressure on said resilient sealing member.

2. In a sluice gate, a frame having a central opening for the passage of a fluid, a gate slidably mounted on said frame for movement between open and closed positions, means formin a fixed horizontal surface substantially coplanar with the lower edge of said opening, a laterally extending flange on said gate adjacent the lower edge thereof, said flange terminating in a downwardly extending lip of less width than said surface, and a resilient seal attached to the said gate, said seal having a first portion underlying said lip, and a second portion underlying said flange, the lower surface of said portions being substantially coplanar, whereby when said gate is moved to its closed position, said first portion will be compressed between said lip and said surface with a first pressure, and said second portion will be compressed between said flange and said surface with a different pressure.

3..The structure of claim -2 together, with cooperating means on said gate and said frame, to vary the closed position of said gate to thereby vary the sealing pressure on said portions of said resilient seal.

4. A sluice gate comprising a frame having a central opening for the passage'of a fluid, sealing surfaces surrounding said opening at the top and sides thereof, means forming a horizontal surface adjacent the lower edge of said opening, a gate, means on said frame supporting said gate for sliding movement between open and closed positions, sealing surfaces on said gate and around the top and sides thereof adapted to be in register with said sealing surfaces on said frame when said gate occupies its closed position, cooperating wedging means on the top and sides of said frame and gate adapted to urge the respective sealing surfaces into sealing engagement when said gate occupies its closedposition, and a resilient sealing member attached to the lower edge of said frame in register with said horizontal surface, adapted to be sealingly compressed between said gate and said surface when said gate occupies its closed position.

5. The sluice gate of claim 4, together with means for adjusting said wedging means to control the closed position of said gate and to thereby adjust the compressive force exerted on said resilient seal.

6. In a sluice gate slidably supported on a frame, said frame having an opening for the passage of fluid; a sealing structure comprising, means forming a horizontal surface adjacent the lower edge of said opening and opposite the bottom edge of said gate, a resilient seal interposed between the bottom of the gate and said surface, and means on the bottom of said gate operative when said gate is urged toward said surface for establishing differing sealingpressures over predetermined areas of said seal.

7. In a sluice gate slidably supported in a frame, said frame having an opening for the passage of fluid; a sealing structure comprising a stop bar rigidly attached to said frame with its upper surface substantially coplanar with the lower edge of said opening, and insert between said bar and said frame, said insert terminating at its upper end in a lip projecting above the edge of said opening, a resilient seal rigidly secured to the lower edge of said gate, one edge of said seal being adapted to engage said lip, and means on said gate adapted to establish a first sealing pressure over one area of said seal and a different pressure over another area of said seal when said gate is urged toward said surface.

8. In a sluice gate, a frame having an opening for the passage of a fluid, a gate slidably mounted on said frame for movement between open and closed positions, means forming a fixed horizontal surface on said frame adjacent the lower portion of said opening, a resilient sealing member attached to the lower edge of said gate and adapted to be compressed into sealing engagement with said horizontal surface when said gate occupies its closed position, and cooperating means on said gate and said frame for varying the location of said closed position of said gate to thereby vary the sealing pressure on said resilient sealing member.

9. In a sluice gate, a frame having a central opening for the passage of a fluid, a gate slidably mounted on said frame for movement between open and closed positions, means forming a fixed horizontal surface adjacent the lower portion of said opening, a laterally extending flange on said gate adjacent the lower end thereof, said flange terminating a downwardly extending lip of less width than said surface, a resilient seal attached to the lower edge of said gate, said seal having a, first portion underlying said lip and a second portion underlying said flange, the lower surfaces of said portions being substantially coplanar, whereby when said gate is moved to its closed position, said first portion will be compressed between said lip and said surface with a first pressure, andv said second portion will be compressed between said flange and said surface with a different pressure and cooperating means on said gate and said frame to vary the closed position of said gate and thereby vary the sealing pressure on said portions of said resilient seal.

10. In a sluice gate slidably supported on a frame, said frame having an opening for the passage of fluid; a sealing structure comprising, a stop bar rigidly attached to said frame adjacent the lower portion of said opening, an insert between said bar and said frame, said insert terminating at its upper end in a lip projecting above the upper edge of said opening, a resilient seal rigidly attached to the lower edge of said gate, one edge of said seal being adapted to engage said lip, and means on said gate adapted to establish a first sealing pressure over one portion of said seal and a different pressure over another portion of said seal, when said gate is urged toward said surface.

ROBERT L. HATCH.

Name Date Zimmerman Jan. 1, 1935 Number 

